Since Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule fired John Butler earlier this week, things have been relatively quiet. However, the situation got quite a bit louder on Friday night with reports that Toledo defensive coordinator Vence Kehres is in town to interview for the job.

On3’s Steve Sipple was the first to announce the reported interview with Kehres, who has been right at the top of the list of most sought-after DC by Husker fans since the job opened. He also happens to be one of the best coordinators in the MAC and was a Broyles Award Nominee for best assistant coach in the country.

Kehres’ unit ranks in the top 10 nationally in several major statistical categories, including total defense, scoring defense, rush defense, pass defense, defensive pass efficiency, defensive stop rate, and third-down conversion defense.

Nebraska football may be zeroing in on Vince Kehres for defensive coordinator

For those who might be a bit worried that his defensive statistics are skewed by going up against MAC opposition, Toledo defenders have earned All-MAC honors 31 times since his arrival in 2020, while four were selected in the NFL Draft, including first-round selection Quinyon Mitchell in 2024 and third-round pick Darius Alexander in 2025.

In the just wrapped up 2025 early signing day, Toledo finished with the top class in the MAC, with 13 of the 24 signees coming on the defensive side of the ball.

For now, it’s not clear if this is a situation where a good interview would mean Kehres is hired, or this is just the beginning of what will be a much longer process.

With Phil Snow as the interim DC for the Nebraska bowl game and the early signing day now in the books, the Huskers likely aren’t going to rush in naming the replacement for John Butler.

A new initiative is underway to unify the University of Nebraska’s four for-credit Canvas learning management systems into a single environment, creating a more seamless experience for faculty and students.

Led by David Jackson, interim executive vice president and provost, and supported by Information and Technology Services, the Canvas Convergence project will include systems at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Nebraska at Kearney and University of Nebraska at Omaha. The project is intended to enhance collaboration, reduce redundancy, and improve student and faculty support across the academic community.

Faculty will be able to begin accessing and exploring the new Canvas environment in March, with full student implementation for fall 2026 courses. The project will maintain familiar Canvas features while adding valuable systemwide functionality, especially for those who teach or take classes across multiple NU institutions. Faculty will not lose access to course materials from prior semesters, and there will be multiple options for retrieving that content on an ongoing basis. Students should see no difference in how they interact with and access Canvas.

The project reflects the University of Nebraska’s commitment to innovation and stewardship and supports its broader goal of delivering a “frictionless student experience,” as outlined in NU system’s Odyssey to Extraordinary strategic plan.

More details, including transition timelines and training opportunities, will be announced. Learn more about the project here. For additional information, contact Jackson at djackson@nebraska.edu or Jaci Lindburg, technical project lead, at jclindburg@unomaha.edu.

Nebraska’s undefeated men’s basketball team keeps piling up victories and keeps improving its NCAA Tournament profile.

According to Joe Lunardi, the author of ESPN’s Bracketology, the Huskers are an 8-seed, their best showing this season.

Last week, Nebraska was among the “last four byes,” and was a 10-seed. The week before, Nebraska was among the “last four in,” and was an 11-seed.

No such designations this week for the 8-0 Huskers. This is the third time Nebraska has started a season 8-0. Nebraska started the 1977-78 season 10-0.

Bracketology has Nebraska playing 9-seed SMU at San Diego in the first round. The Nebraska-SMU winner would play the winner of No. 1 Arizona and 16-seed Tennessee State.

Lunardi’s other top seeds are Purdue, Michigan and Duke. Michigan is Lunardi’s overall No. 1 seed.

B1G presence in NCAA Tournament

Eleven Big Ten teams are projected to make the tournament (seeds in parentheses):

* Purdue (1)
* Michigan (1)
* Michigan State (3)
* Illinois (5)
* Indiana (6)
* USC (6)
* Iowa (7)
* Nebraska (8)
* Wisconsin (9)
* Ohio State (10)
* UCLA (10)

The Southeastern Conference also is projected to have 11 teams in the NCAA Tournament, according to Lunardi.

The Big 12 has nine teams; the ACC has seven teams; the Big East has three teams; and the West Coast Conference has two teams.

The Huskers also made their first appearance in ESPN’s Power Rankings of the top 25 teams that were released Thursday. The Huskers are ranked 23rd by ESPN’s Jeff Borzello.

Borzello wrote about Nebraska: “Another new addition to the rankings, the Cornhuskers actually own the nation’s longest win streak dating back to last season, winning four games to take the inaugural College Basketball Crown and then ripping off eight straight to open this 2025-26 campaign.

“The victory over Oklahoma looks better, too, after the Sooners won at Wake Forest. Rienk Mast has been awesome after missing all of last season with a knee injury; he’s averaging 17.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists.”

Big Ten teams hold down the top two spots in the ESPN Power Rankings: Michigan (1) and Purdue (2).

Next up for Nebraska: Creighton

The Huskers’ next game is a challenging one. Nebraska plays host to Creighton at 4 p.m. CT on Sunday, Dec. 7, on FS1. The Bluejays (5-3) are among the “first four out” in Lunardi’s latest Bracketology, along with Santa Clara, Miami and VCU.

Two of Creighton’s losses were to ranked teams — 90-63 at No. 19 Gonzaga, and 78-60 at a neutral site to No. 15 Iowa State. Creighton’s other loss was at a neutral site to Baylor, 81-64.

Nebraska defeated Creighton last season, 74-63, in Omaha. The Huskers have won two of their last three games against the Bluejays.

There is an obvious caution about Bracketology, especially in early December. Once teams get involved in conference play, Bracketology will change dramatically. Nebraska opens Big Ten play at home against Wisconsin on Wednesday, Dec. 10. The Huskers will face a serious test on Saturday, Dec. 13 at No. 14 Illinois.

These next three games will give everyone a good read on what kind of team Nebraska is.

Nebraska’s last game was a 72-63 triumph over visiting South Carolina Upstate on Nov. 29. The Huskers used a 17-0 run to overcome a slow start.

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